Defence Ministry to meet industry representatives to discuss pvt sector role in defence production

New Delhi, May 8 (KNN) With the defence ministry speeding up to finalize the "strategic partnership (SP)" policy for long term private sector participation in production of strategic defence platforms in the country, a meeting has been called on Wednesday with the industry representatives for further consultations.

The defence acquisitions council (DAC), chaired by defence minister Arun Jaitley, will reportedly discuss the SP policy later this month.

Representatives from leading  industry federations including a leading MSME body have been invited for the meeting the meeting. During the meeting the government is expected to unveil the progress made so far.

The SP policy was to be part of the new Defence Procurement Procedure (DPP), which came into effect in April 2016, but has not been finalized till now.

According to the report, four projects are expected to be taken up in the first phase of the strategic partnership project, which will include manufacturing of new submarines, a naval utility helicopter, a single-engine fighter aircraft for the air force and armoured vehicles for the army.

The armed forces, the navy in particular, are keen to move fast on the SP concept to meet the urgent requirements and address the lack of equipment.